Patent GB-735987-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in feeding mechanism for book creasing and pressing machine
IPC: B42C13/00
Filed: 1953-09-24
Abstract: 735,987. Bookbinding. SMYTH MANU. FACTURING CO. Sept. 24, 1953 [Oct. 8, 1952], No. 26362/53. Class 16. [Also in Group XXX] A book feeding mechanism comprises in combination, belt means for receiving books arranged in longitudinal sequence, mechanism for moving the belt means to move the books successively to a receiving position, first and second stops adjacent the path of book movement and spaced less than the longitudinal dimension of the books, means for moving the two stops alternately into primary and secondary relationships in which primary relationship the first stop is engageable with a book to stop movement thereof and the second stop is out of the path of book movement and in which secondary relationship the first stop is out of the path of book movement and the second stop is engageable with a book to stop movement thereof, and mechanism for cyclically operating the last said means in timed relationship with the mechanism for moving the belt means and at a rate such that any book that is partly beyond the first stop at the beginning of the primary stop relationship is moved by the belt means towards the receiving position and at least partly beyond the second stop prior to the beginning of the secondary stop relationship, so as to ensure the arrival of one book only at the receiving position for each cyclical operation of the stops. Conveyer mechanism. The feeding mechanism is supported from the main frame 14 of a creasing and pressing machine by means of brackets 13, 15 supported by posts 18, 20, the bracket 15 having a saddle 16 to support a plurality of conveyer belts 30 at an angle of 45 degrees. The saddle 16 has an inclined guideway 22 along which a bracket 24 and frame 25 are adjustable by screws 26 locked by bolts 28. The conveyer belts 30 are mounted on the frame 25 by pulleys 32, 36 on shafts 34, 38, the shaft 38 being mounted, to tension the belts, in bearing blocks 40 adjustable by screws 42, 43. The upper runs of the belts 30 are supported on a plate 44 having longitudinal strips 45 of wood lying between the belts and having inclined faces to facilitate sliding of the books transversely of the belts. The shaft 34 is driven from an electric motor 54 through a reduction gear unit 56 having a drive shaft 58 connected by a sleeve 60 to a shaft 50, the shafts 34, 50 being interconnected by gearing 46, 48 which is such as to allow the adjustment of the frame 25 along the guideway 22. The books from a casing-in machine are placed back B upwardly by hand on the belts 30 and as they travel along the belts towards a stop 84 move transversely by gravity to rest against a series of rollers 62 freely rotatably mounted on a plate 64 carried by an inclined slide 66 adjustably mounted on the saddle 16, the rollers being adjusted for book width variation parallel to the upper run and clamped by a screw 68. So that the rollers 62 should engage the filler F centrally between the covers C for variable book thicknesses, the frame 25 is adjusted along the guideway 22. The rollers 62 and plate 64 are adjustable longitudinally with respect to the slide by means of a slot 70 and bolts 72 for adjusting the position of the end roller 62 with respect to the transfer mechanism. The transfer mechanism. The transfer mechanism comprises a device, pivoted about a rockshaft 74 journaled in the bracket 13, to transfer. a book A from the dot-dash position shown in Fig. 3 to the full line position where it is lifted to the dotted line position for engagement between adjustable guides 12 and carrier jaws 8 which convey the book to the creasing and pressing unit. The device comprises a book carrier carried by an arm 76 on the rockshaft 74 comprising a plate 78 with spaced fingers 80 which, in the lower position of the device, lie parallel with and between the belts 30, the plate 78 being mounted on a slide 81 adjustable for variable book thicknesses similarly to the belts 30, on the arm 76 by a screw 82 and clamped by a screw 83. The stop 84 is carried by the transfer device and is mounted to project in the lower position and be retracted in the upper position thereof so that the book can continue travelling in the same longitudinal direction. The stop pin 84 is formed on a slide 87 to project through one of a number of holes 89 in the plate 78, the slide 87 having notches into which a bolt 88 may be received to secure the slide 87 to a slide 85 carried by the arm 76 and biased by springs 86 so that the pin 84 projects through plate 78. As the transfer device moves to the upper position, a lateral extension on the slide 85 engages a stationary vertical bar 90 to hold the slide 85 and thereby retract the pin 84 to the position shown in Fig. 3. The books A when in position on the transfer device, are supported by elements 96, in alignment with the rollers 62, on a plate 94 carried by an extension 92 on the rockshaft 74, the plate 94 being transversely adjustable for variable book widths by a bolt 102 through a slot 100. The transfer device is rotated to the vertical position shown in Fig. 3, where an abutment 124 is adjustably fixed, the abutment comprising spaced vertical bars carried on a bracket 125 and adjustable for book thickness variation, the book A being held between the bars 124 and the carrier fingers 80. From this position, the book is lifted to the dotted line position by a slide 126, reciprocated vertically in timed relation with the transfer device, carrying a bracket 128 with book lifting elements 130 spaced to lie between the book supporting elements 96 and being joined to the bracket 128 by narrow projections lying between the bars 124. The bracket 128 is adjustably mounted in a vertical guideway 132 in the slide 126, and held by a bolt 134, for variation of book width. The book is then removed by the jaws 8 of the creasing and pressing unit and the transfer device and the slide 126 return to their initial positions ready for the next book. The transfer device and slide 126 are both operated by cams on a transverse shaft of the main machine ; the arm 76 being rocked about the shaft 74 by a bell crank lever 136 moving about a fixed axis 138 (Fig. 8) a spring 140 biasing the crank to move the arm to the upper position and the crank being operated from the cam by a link 142 pivoted to one arm of the crank. The other arm of the crank 136 is connected by a link 144 to a stud 146 on the arm 76. A spring pressed detent 148 on the crank 136 is biased into engagement with notches on a section plate 150 to hold the transfer device at either of its two end positions. The slide 126 is reciprocated by a bell crank lever 152 biased to move the slide upwardly by a spring 154 and operated from the second cam by a link 156 pivoted to one arm of the crank, the other arm of the crank 152 being connected to the slide 126 by a link 158. Stop mechanism. A stop mechanism is provided so that arrival of the books at the stop 84 should be in timed relation with the movement of the transfer device and the books should arrive one at a time when no book is in position. The stop mechanism, shown in Figs. 5 and 6, comprises transverse rock shafts 160, 176 carried bv the frame 25 and biased for movement in opposite directions by springs 164, 180 connected to arms 162, 178 and limited by stop screws 166, 182. Each shaft 160, 176 carries two leaf springs 168, 184 having at their opposite ends book stops 170, 186, a relatively stiff strip 171, 187 being mounted above each spring 168, 184 and the stops lying between the belts 30 to project alternately into the path of the books A and to lie below the level of the belts. The rockshaft 160 is operated to move the stops 170 into the path of the books by downward movement of the transfer device, a projection 174 on the plate 78 engaging an arm 172 on the shaft 160 to rock the shaft. Movement of the other stops 186 at the same time, out of the way of the books, is obtained by arms 188 and 190 on the shafts 160, 176 which engage to rock the shaft 176 in the opposite sense. As the transfer device rises, the stops 170 are moved downwardy and the stops 186 upwardly by their respective springs 164, 180. The distance between the stops 170 and 186 is arranged to be less than the length of the smallest book and the stops are held down by a book which is engaged from underneath (the springs 168, 184 yielding) so that the stops then move into position behind the book to stop the next book. The dwell of the transfer device in the lower position is long enough to enable any book which has passed the stops 170 to pass up to the stop 84. To separate closely following books to allow the stops to engage between them, presser wheels 104, 122 are provided to firmly press the leading book against the belts so that it is fed more quickly on release than the following book. The presser wheel 104 is rotatably mounted on a rod 106 carried by a block 108, the block 108 being pivotally connected with an arm 110 carried by a block 112 and the two arms 106, 110 being adjustable lengthwise of the blocks 108, 112. The block 112 is adjustably mounted in a guideway in a bar 114 secured to the frame 25 and secured by a screw 116. A spring 118 biasses the wheel 104 into engagement with the passing books, movement being limited by an adjustable stop 120. Similarly the wheel 122 which is a different shape to the wheel 104, is mounted by an adjustable block 123 in the bar 114. Safety control. A control, for stopping the main creasing and pressing machine and the transfer mechanism in event of failure of a book to move into proper engagement with the transfer device comprises a microswitch 192 having an arm 194 projecting between two of the belts 30 into the path of the books and located so that a properly engaged book A is clear of the arm 194 but the arm 194 is depressed by any book not up to the stop 84, the switch 192 being opened as each book passes over the arm. The switch 192 is mounted on a plate 195